Doctor's cosmetic treatments warning: 'You wouldn't go for surgery in a grotty nail salon – but some people are'

A HEALTHY FUTURE: Dr Paul Charlson has opened a new 'health hub' training facility called SkinQure in Welton.

Comments (1)A new ‘health hub’ has opened its doors in Welton. Health Reporter Emma Wright speaks to Dr Paul Charlson.

THEY are procedures designed to make people feel more confident about their looks.

But the cosmetic surgery industry is heavily flawed when it comes to the rules and regulations.

Now, an East Yorkshire GP is hoping to eradicate some of the "grey areas" in the law.

Dr Paul Charlson, a GP from Brough, has outlined his plans for change when he becomes the president of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) in July.

He spoke to the Mail as he showed us round his new "health hub" in Welton, which provides cosmetic procedures, including Botox and liposuction.

"There are huge grey areas – the whole industry is rife with them," he said.

"People go around performing procedures in places they shouldn't be doing it.

"You wouldn't go for minor surgery in a grotty nail salon but, actually, that is exactly what some people are doing."

The rules and regulations around where procedures such as fillers can be performed is still very much in its infancy of being properly developed.

As it is a relatively new industry, which has only become more widely available in the past few years, Dr Charlson worries the law has not caught up yet.

He said: "I heard of one example recently that happened in our region where a nurse came over to a house party from Leeds.

"Women were drinking champagne and she was sticking fillers in their face.

"Several people had it done apparently – at a house.

"These people had had a few drinks and weren't in the proper state to have this sort of procedure.

"And it certainly shouldn't have been done outside of a clinical setting, where there is a sterile environment.

"Most of the time, people will get away with it and nothing bad will happen.

"But fillers and procedures like that are a ticking time bomb and things can go wrong later down the line."

Dr Charlson will take on his new role at the BCAM from July and will remain in the position for two years.

He has been on the board for the past year, but has been a member of the organisation for a lot longer.

"The title will also mean I'll be learning about new techniques and bringing them back to East Yorkshire," he said.

"I'll be exposed to a lot of stuff that people are doing around the country and even internationally.

"Hopefully, when I get the training academy up and running, those new techniques will form part of that."

The training academy Dr Charlson hopes to launch will be based at the new SkinQure centre he has opened in Welton.

He already has a similar premises in Brough but hopes to wind that down once the new, larger site is properly up and running.

The centre, which has been seeing patients for the past month, specialises in cosmetic procedures including laser work, LED treatments, skin tightening, cosmetic injectables including fillers, implants and Botox, liposuction and acne scarring treatments.

Dr Charlson said: "It is about giving people proper advice about skin care and dermatological procedures.

"It is marrying off the beauty angle with the medicine side of things.

"People in East Yorkshire don't want that Barbie doll look – a very small percentage want the big cheeks and lips.

"They want a subtle look that doesn't look as though you've had any work done.

"It is a much more conservative look."

It is hoped the SkinQure centre will eventually be used by other professionals too.

Dr Charlson is hoping to get counsellors and physiotherapists using one of the five treatment and consulting rooms at the centre, which is based in Cowgate, Welton.

He said: "The idea is to set up a little 'health hub' so people can go there for several different types of treatment.

"It is something this area hasn't seen before – a purpose-built skin clinic.

"It's still in its early stages and we're just starting to employ people and get it up and running, but so far things are going well."

When he is not performing his role as a GP, or working at one of the two SkinQure centres, Dr Charlson's role as president of BCAM will take up the rest of his time.

It is a title he is looking forward to and hopes he can make some real changes during his tenure.

"We'll hopefully be working with the General Medical Council around developing credentials and making sure as a specialism there are far viewer grey areas," he said.

"We want to make sure that people are safe when they have a procedure and that it is carried out in the safest and cleanliest way possible.

"In the industry there are some things that are working and some things that aren't.

Comments

We fully agree that such cosmetic procedures (including semi permanent makeup and tattoo removal) should be performed within safe clinical environments and preferably bespoke clinics, but skin qure and not the only Dr lead clinic in East Yorkshire. Redeem Clinics have been in our region for three years now. Also as long as the environment has very high standards of hygiene its unfair to state these procedure shouldn't happen in other locations. Strange how Dr Charlson doesn't mention the medical reasons why you shouldn't drink before such procedures and just mentions the environment. Sounds more like an advert than an editorial.